Every year, holidaymakers arrive at the sought after resort of Sharm el Sheikh from the UK. They come to chill out by the beach or swimming pool. Some want to dive and other spend hours snorkelling on neighbouring reefs. There are a lot of trips available to travellers and tourists to Sharm and certainly one of the more sought after ones is an excursion to the capital of Egypt, Cairo.
Cairo is home to the world well known Pyramids of Giza and the Sphinx but the day outings to Cairo present far more than just these age-old monuments. From Sharm, visitors can either get to Cairo by road or air. Either way, its an early morning start with road trips departing at close to 2am and flights at roughly five in the morning. It makes for a long day ahead but it is truly worth the effort.
Itineraries can vary on trip to trip but by and large gets under way with a visit to the Cairo Museum or to give it’s precise title “The Museum of Egyptian Antiquities in Cairo”. Much of the morning is spent at the museum and it is packed with some renowned treasures. Many of the more impressive treasures are those that were found in the tomb of the boy Pharaoh Tutankhamen including the well-known gold and blue death mask. Additionally, there are a good number of items of furniture and ornaments and one thing that is evident is how well the colours are preserved in several of the pieces considering they are 1000′s of years old.
Bear in mind there is simply too much to investigate in the museum consequently people have to pick and choose the areas they want to take a look at.
Coming from the museum, the group is driven down to the River nile for a meal on board a river boat. There is a good choice of food and for entertainment there are also dancers. On the other hand, you can observe the Cairo skyline pass by as you sail up and back to your departure point.
Next are the Pyramids of Giza. Looking at the majority of photos, you should be forgiven for thinking that the Pyramids are in the midst of the desert but that isn’t true. The Pyramids and Sphinx are just on the outskirts of Cairo. It is difficult not to be fascinated after you get near to the Great Pyramid owing to the actual stature of the it. You’ll be able to have lots of time here to wander round the Pyramids and there are no absence of people trying to sell you a large range of mementos or rides on their camels. There are enough opportunities for photos just before the tour coach takes you a bit further down to the Sphinx. Just as before, you will be given the opportunity to get all types of souvenirs and there are further photograph opportunities. However, the Sphinx has not worn nearly as well as the Pyramids so you can’t get as close to it. Its late afternoon as the group leaves Cairo’s most notable tourist places but there is time for one or two more visits.
The first of these stops is at a perfume shop where your are asked to try a number of the many scents the shop stocks. Next the tour bus gets going to head back to the airport with one final stop en route. Papyrus is the paper like material produced by the historic Egyptians from the pith of the Papyrus reed. It was used to write on but now, it is a widespread tourist souvenir, regularly with images of historic Egyptian gods and similar images. At the Papyrus shop, there is a wide range of Papyrus available and travellers can also enjoy a display of how current day Papyrus is made.
The tour coach departs and the day trip to Cairo is over. The tour party now makes their way back to the airport for the flight back to Sharm el Sheikh or the road journey. The day excursions to Cairo from Sharm are quite tiring but are good value. For travellers staying in Sharm, it is an excellent way to view a few of the places of Cairo without actually staying there.
